November 2011 – Brighthand BytesThoughts, perspectives and opinions on mobile and wireless technology, smart phones and mobile devices.2013-11-26T18:19:11Zhttp://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/mobile-devices/feed/atom/Ed Hardyhttp://brighthand.comhttp://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/mobile-devices/?p=4532011-11-18T16:44:49Z2011-11-18T16:44:49ZWhen it launched, the iPhone 4S had a serious problem: it had terrible battery life. Even moderate users were lucky to get through a work day without needing to recharge. Apple quickly released an iOS 5.0.1 upgrade to remedy this problem, but does it do the job? In my experience, it certainly does. Before this...

]]>When it launched, the iPhone 4S had a serious problem: it had terrible battery life. Even moderate users were lucky to get through a work day without needing to recharge. Apple quickly released an iOS 5.0.1 upgrade to remedy this problem, but does it do the job?

In my experience, it certainly does. Before this update was released, I’d gotten in the habit of keeping my iPhone 4S plugging in all the time at work so I would have more than a 40% charge when it came time to leave. Now I can easily go a couple of days without needing to charge.

To give you some hard numbers, one of my tests was an 18.5 hour day during which I used the smartphone for 2.5 hours and left it on standby for 16 hours. By the end, I still had a 68% charge. In a multi-day test, the iPhone 4S was used for 8 hours but was on standby for 48 hours. The result: a 33% charge.

These are quite good numbers. Above average, considering getting through two full days of heavy usage and still having a decent amount of power left over is something many smartphones can’t provide.

Not a Simple Answer
You’d think everything was cut and dried at this point — Apple has solved the problem — but it’s a bit more complicated than that. See, whatever bug it is that’s causing the iPhone 4S (and other devices running iOS 5) to having battery problems doesn’t act consistently from one device to another.

Some people have never understood the furor, as their device has always performed fine. Consumer Reports is in this category, as it gave the iPhone 4S high marks in this area. Others have complained that the iOS 5.0.1 update actually made their battery life worse

Apple is reportedly working on iOS 5.0.2 that will help remedy this problem once and for all, for everyone. Only time will tell if this will lay the problem to rest.

]]>0Ed Hardyhttp://brighthand.comhttp://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/mobile-devices/?p=4472011-11-08T14:59:37Z2011-11-08T14:54:41ZApple’s latest smartphone started shipping in mid-October, and in the weeks since then a couple of problems have come to light. The most obvious one is in its battery life, but the Siri voice-control system has had an issue or two as well. Siri is possibly the best new feature in the iPhone 4S. It...

]]>Apple’s latest smartphone started shipping in mid-October, and in the weeks since then a couple of problems have come to light. The most obvious one is in its battery life, but the Siri voice-control system has had an issue or two as well.

Siri is possibly the best new feature in the iPhone 4S. It is a powerful and functional voice-recognition and control system… when it works. Last week it went offline for several hours, and Apple has yet to explain why. Siri is still a beta, and some of wrinkles have clearly not been ironed out yet, but it’s somewhat disconcerting that the feature can apparently shut down so easily and completely.

But a larger issue is the device’s battery life. There is a bug in the operating system for the iPhone 4S that doesn’t seem to affect everyone, but both I and Louie Tran, who reviewed the device for Brighthand, can’t go more than a few hours without needing a re-charge. Apple has promised a fix that’s likely to come in the form of an iOS 5.0.1. update, but in the mean time there are a few modifications you can make to the settings on your smartphone that an extend its battery life.

]]>0Ed Hardyhttp://brighthand.comhttp://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/mobile-devices/?p=4432011-11-01T14:08:25Z2011-11-01T14:08:25ZThis fall, AT&T followed in Verizon’s footsteps by launching LTE service. This 4G standard is significantly faster than this carrier’s previous HSPA+ network, as much as three times faster in some situations. Since the debut in late September, the only way to access AT&T’s LTE service has been through USB cards or a mobile hotspot....

]]>This fall, AT&T followed in Verizon’s footsteps by launching LTE service. This 4G standard is significantly faster than this carrier’s previous HSPA+ network, as much as three times faster in some situations.

Since the debut in late September, the only way to access AT&T’s LTE service has been through USB cards or a mobile hotspot. That changed yesterday, however, when the carrier finally took the wraps off a pair of smartphones that will be able to use this speedy wireless network: the HTC Vivid and the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket.

Both will be Android devices with high-end feature sets. The Vivid is going to have a 4.5-inch qHD display and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The Skyrocket will have a display that’s the same size but lower resolution: WVGA. It is going to sport a faster 1.5GHz dual-core chip, though.

These devices are going to hit store shelves on Sunday, November 6. On that same day, AT&T is going to expand the reach of its LTE network. It’s currently available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and coverage is being added for Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Indianapolis and Athens, GA this weekend.

If you’d like to learn more about the HTC Vivid and the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, or more about AT&T’s 4G offerings, head over to Brighthand‘s LTE page.